Thursday, May 17, 2012

Will Sergeant - From the Rock Stage to the Gallery

Will Sergeant has rocked stages all around the world as lead guitarist for Echo and the Bunnymen, and now he is getting set to open his first solo US Gallery Art Show. MELROSEandFAIRFAX scored an exclusive interview about what it is like being an artist creating in different mediums.
You are an accomplished guitarist from Echo and the Bunnymen, and now the Substrate Gallery is hosting the first US solo art show showcasing your visual work. Do you feel that the music and the visual art are related? Is there any creative overlap?Totally I see its as all part of the same thing. It all comes from the same parts of my brain and is linked, and is as one. The art I like is because of the music I like, and the Music I like is because of the art I like.
I am into drones and one chord freak outs and the paintings I am into are more minimal things the New York colour field painters and the soviet schools of the early/mid 20th century suprematism and constructionism.
With the Bunnymen that is a kind of team effort so compromise is always involved. I do try and get some simplicity into the Bunnymen world but it's difficult when you have to accommodate others.
But with my own solo recordings and projects I can set my own path.Do your fans respond to your music and visual art respond differently?Up to now all the fans of the band have loved the art. I guess some fans like art and get it, others are just into the music, don't really turn up and have an opinion. The fans that have shown interest are all with me all the way.Is a gallery art show similar to playing a concert? Do you prefer one over the other?Oddly the stress and tension is more doing the art show than doing a concert. I guess because I have done lots of concerts and know what to expect. The art show at Penny Lane Gallery in Liverpool went very well this gave me the confidence to go forward with the art. I see the art and music as two sides of the same coin sort of, they are totally interlinked.The work from 'My Own Worst Enemy' utilizes many different mediums including abstracts, collages, and screen printing. The screen print of the dog is a fascinating piece. What is your favorite piece in the upcoming show?I know it sounds like I'm dodging the subject, but I don't have a favourite. I like some works more than others. Sometimes my view of a piece is coloured by the reaction of others. Some of my least favourite pieces have been the most popular, and I have changed my view on them a bit.
I am experimental in my approach to both mediums. I like to try things out, not all are successful but they will be recycled and the traces left behind will become the bed for a new things. Just like layering tracks on a recording, layering paint or images to form a new piece.
The blue Dog was left behind on this one. It was a limited edition print and they all sold so they are gone now. I do have some black ones left but left them at home.Is there anything else you would like to mention?I have just moved into a new workshop/studio just round the corner from my house. I will be making more art and some larger pieces, now I have the space. I have some more works in progress and they are taking shape. I have a new solo musical project coming soon 'Things Inside' via my own label website www.92hc.co.uk lots of plans for more records and art.